Rating: 
Summary: Scholarly excellence, but lacking in context
Review: Like many who will approach this book, I sought out Ravina's "The Last Samurai" as a corrective to the 2003 Edward Zwick film of the same title. As has been said elsewhere, it's deemed less politically correct in Hollywood to make a movie about a Japanese Robert E. Lee -- an American whose career is somewhat analagous to that of Saigo Takamori -- than a Japanese Sitting Bull. Ravina's extensively researched account strips away the romance from Saigo's life and presents it in a well-written and unemotional account.Unfortunately, people such as myself -- American history buffs with only a rudimentary knowledge of Japanese history and, especially, the political struggles during the transformation of
of 19th-century Japan from a feudal society to a modern nation with ambitions of world power -- are going to find "The Last Samurai" rough going. There is a good deal of information in the book about the people and events that shaped Saigo's career, but Ravina seems to assume that the reader will be well-acquainted with some of the basic aspects of Japanese history -- the establishment and development of the shogunate, the relationship between the shoguns and the imperial dynasty and court, the relationships among the various daimyos, or feudal domains -- and provides inadquate context for the uninformed reader. I would advise any potential reader not already thus informed to read at least one expansive, general account of 19th-century Japanese history before delving into the life of Saigo. Such foreknowledge will make Ravina's book a far more rewarding experience. The book contains some decent maps and illustrations, but the maps could have been more inclusive, to show all the feudal domains of mid-19th-century Japan. (A map listing in the contents page also would have been welcome). And as another reviewer suggests, a biographical "cast of characters" who figure prominently in the book would be useful. Maybe it's just me, but some of the Japanese names and titles were hard to keep separate in my mind. In summary: This is not a "popular" biography and does not conform to stereotypical Western images of the samurai gleaned from a half-century of movies. It's an enlightening book for specialists or for others who have prepared themselves for a study of 19th-century Japan.
Rating: 
Summary: Fascinating. lively and accessible book
Review: Mark Ravina has written a fascinating book about Saigo Takamori, providing insight about one of the most intriguing characters in Japanese history and the world in which he lived. Reading "The Last Samurai," I felt like I was seeing Saigo for the first time as a real person, and not just as a historical or mythological figure. Ravina does an excellent job of explaining what was happening in Japanese politics and culture -- and why it was happening -- during Saigo's life. As one of Dr. Ravina's former students at Emory University, I am proud to see one of my favorite professors publish a book that's so scholarly and well researched, yet accessible and lively. "The Last Samurai" is required reading for anyone with an interest in Japanese history, and for anyone who's curious about one of the world's most fascinating leaders.
Rating:
Summary: Fascinating. lively and accessible book
Review: Mark Ravina has written a fascinating book about Saigo Takamori, providing insight about one of the most intriguing characters in Japanese history and the world in which he lived. Reading "The Last Samurai," I felt like I was seeing Saigo for the first time as a real person, and not just as a historical or mythological figure. Ravina does an excellent job of explaining what was happening in Japanese politics and culture -- and why it was happening -- during Saigo's life. As one of Dr. Ravina's former students at Emory University, I am proud to see one of my favorite professors publish a book that's so scholarly and well researched, yet accessible and lively. "The Last Samurai" is required reading for anyone with an interest in Japanese history, and for anyone who's curious about one of the world's most fascinating leaders.
Rating:
Summary: The Real Story of the Last Samurai
Review: Ravina's The Last Samurai is an excellent study high on specifics in an academic subject which is often superficial and generalized. It's not a book about generals, tactics, and weapons, but a look at an idealistic and passionate man who also happened to be a samurai. Casual readers should know right from the start that this book is an academic text with extensive annotations and a large bibliography. It is not a difficult book to read, but a fuller knowledge of Japanese history would give the book a richer historical context in which Saigo Takamori lived. With that said, I only wish Ravina had included a substantive biographical glossary of the people with whom Saigo lived and communicated. The importance of people like Okubo, Kido, and Itagaki are far understated in the text. A minor peeve are the date notations which can be confusing at times, but it reflects Ravina's conscious decision to put accuracy at the forefront of his research. Historical method is certainly the defining characteristic which makes The Last Samurai a definitive text in English (as well as in Japanese, when and if it ever gets translated). One would have wished for a more complete examination of the alleged assassination attempt on Saigo's life for it is offered as a critical pretext for his revolt against the Meiji government. If the conspiracy to take his life were conclusively true, then Saigo could be seen as reacting in self-defense to preserve not only the independence of the Satsuma fief, but also his personal honor. If untrue, Saigo could just as easily be accused of supporting an opportunistic rebellion. But in a book about as romanticized a figure as Saigo Takamori is in Japanese culture, my biggest worry from the onset was that Ravina would have been just as drawn as past biographers to perpetuate the standard myths about Takamori's life. But Ravina challenges the legend and brings Takamori down from the heavens and places him profanely on the battlefield where he perishes in ignominious defeat. Like Matsumoto from Zwick's film (same name, but not based on Ravina's book), much is made of Takamori's pull between tradition and modernity. Ravina's book is encouraging in that the author is not afraid to tell us what we, as a sympathetic reader, would be afraid to hear. What that is can be found quite appropriately in the book's last paragraph. For those who have seen The Last Samurai (the movie) but want to know the REAL story of the last samurai, read this book. Nick Jamilla, author of Shimmering Sword: Samurai, Western, and Star Wars Sword Fighting.
Rating:
Summary: The Paradoxical Life of a Paragon of Virtue
Review: The Tom Cruise movie, "The Last Samurai" depicts Saigo Takamori as a reactionary who rejected everything Western and died valiantly waving a samurai sword as he rode into the murderous fire of gatling guns. Well, he did die valiantly (or quixotically) as a medieval samurai charging on horseback into gunfire, but he wasn't a reactionary. He was a little bit more complicated than that. Instead of being the movie's staunch defender of the status quo, Takamori was instrumental in dismantling Japanese feudalism and bringing Japan into the 19th Century. He embraced Western technology and admired some aspects of Western government. Fierce in battle, compassionate in victory, loyal to a fault, tortured by his perception of himself as a failure, eager to embrace death before dishonor, this was a man who commanded such respect that he endangered the Meijin government by simply refusing to participate in it. How could one of the greatest supporters of the Meijin emperor rebel against his sovereign? How could one of the main architects of the moderization of Japan wind up charging on horseback into the murderous gunfire of the modern Japanese army? How could he in death be transformed into a hero of mythic proportions? Read the book and find out.
Rating:
Summary: The Paradoxical Life of a Paragon of Virtue
Review: The Tom Cruise movie, "The Last Samurai" depicts Saigo Takamori as a reactionary who rejected everything Western and died valiantly waving a samurai sword as he rode into the murderous fire of gatling guns. Well, he did die valiantly (or quixotically) as a medieval samurai charging on horseback into gunfire, but he wasn't a reactionary. He was a little bit more complicated than that. Instead of being the movie's staunch defender of the status quo, Takamori was instrumental in dismantling Japanese feudalism and bringing Japan into the 19th Century. He embraced Western technology and admired some aspects of Western government. Fierce in battle, compassionate in victory, loyal to a fault, tortured by his perception of himself as a failure, eager to embrace death before dishonor, this was a man who commanded such respect that he endangered the Meijin government by simply refusing to participate in it. How could one of the greatest supporters of the Meijin emperor rebel against his sovereign? How could one of the main architects of the moderization of Japan wind up charging on horseback into the murderous gunfire of the modern Japanese army? How could he in death be transformed into a hero of mythic proportions? Read the book and find out.
Rating:
Summary: If you want to know what Samurai were like in the real world
Review: Then you should buy this book. The man whose life it details, Saigo Takamori, is torn between his samurai ethos and the values of the newly emerging japanese society. He helps to overthrow the old shogun and establish a new government, but then becomes disillusioned and leads a rebellion of disgruntled Samurai against the modern Japanese government he helped to create. Saigo is sort of a living embodiment of the japanese cultural struggle between traditonal values and the modern world. If you like the movie the Last Samurai, or like Kenshin on cartoon network, then you will like this book because it gives you the real deal about samurai in 19th century Japan. The main Samurai character, Katsumodo, and plot of the new Tom cruise movie, are entirely based on Saigo Takamori's life and the rebellion he led. The context of the book is historical, but hey, its non-fiction, thats the point. Definately a good read for anyone interested in Samurai or Japan.
Rating:
Summary: Good but very "textbook"
Review: This book gives a good general overview of Saigo's life.
However, a word of warning. I found the book to be very "textbook" in its style, and did not feel as though I really knew Saigo when finished. It tells of his life, but does not really give you a feel for the man himself. Perhap's the inclusion of a few of Saigo's personal letters would have helped. (which are often referenced, but rarely quoted)
Furthermore, I was a little confused as to exactly why all the Samurai at the time looked up to Saigo so much in his early career. The book could have included a little more connection with samurai culture and other influencing factors.
I am by no means bashing the book, and I recommend it to anyone who would like to know what the film "The Last Samurai" SHOULD have been about.
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